1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known connector has a synthetic resin housing is identified by the numeral 1 in FIG. 20A. The housing 1 has opposite front and rear ends and a cavity 2 that extends through the housing 1 from the front end to the rear end. A lock 3 projects from an inner surface of the cavity 2 and a front stop wall 4 is formed in the cavity 2 near the front end of the housing 1. The lock 3 is deformed resiliently in response to forces exerted by a terminal fitting inserted into the cavity 2 from behind. However, the lock 3 is restored resiliently when the terminal fitting reaches the front stop wall 4. Thus, the lock 3 holds the terminal fitting in the cavity 2. The housing 1 is formed by placing molds 5, 6 before and behind the lock 3 and the front-stop wall 4 and filling the molds 5, 6 with a molted resin. The molds 5, 6 are withdrawn after a molten resin has solidified.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,551 discloses a connector that attempted to make the above-described connector smaller. This connector is formed by molding a part of a housing 1 that includes the lock 3, separately molding a part of the housing 1 that includes the front-stop wall 4 and then assembling the two parts together as shown in FIG. 20(B). This eliminates an undesirable reduction in the area of the front-stop wall 4 caused by the fact that the mold 5 provided before the lock 3 in the above connector is withdrawn as shown in FIG. 20(A). Thus, the front-stop wall 4 can be secure even if the width of the cavity 2 is small. In this connector as well, the locking portion 3 and left and right side walls 7 adjacent to the lock 3 are spaced apart to permit the resilient deformation of the lock 3. As a result, clearances of width Tb are defined between the lock 3 and the opposite side walls 7.
Some known connector housings include a terminal accommodating portion into which terminal fittings are inserted. These known connector housings also have a receptacle that surrounds the terminal accommodating portion. A rubber ring may be mounted on the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion if the connector is required to be watertight. A mating housing is inserted between the terminal accommodating portion and the receptacle and closely engages the rubber ring to make the connector watertight.
The above described watertight connector can be made smaller by providing a holding member that has a front-stop wall, and mounting the holding member onto the terminal accommodating portion from the front. However, the terminal accommodating portion must have a holding portion of a specified shape to hold the holding member mounted on the terminal accommodating portion.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a watertight connector that can be produced easily.
The invention is directed to a connector with a housing that has a terminal accommodating portion and a receptacle that at least partly surrounds the terminal accommodating portion. At least one terminal fitting is insertable into the terminal accommodating portion. The housing further includes a holder mounted on the terminal accommodating portion. The holder has a stop wall for supporting the terminal fitting at a limit position. The terminal accommodating portion comprises a holding portion for securely mounting the holder. The holding portion is exposed along a direction that intersects a fitting direction for the holder onto the terminal accommodating portion, and preferably the holding portion is exposed substantially sideways, to outside through a side hole. The holding portion preferably can be molded by a mold that is removable through the side hole.
The connector may further comprise a retainer for engaging and locking the terminal fitting. The retainer is mountable to the terminal accommodating portion in a direction that intersects the insertion direction of the terminal fittings. Preferably, the retainer is mountable substantially sideways through a retainer insertion hole in the receptacle.
The side hole preferably serves as the retainer insertion hole for inserting the retainer into the terminal accommodating portion. Accordingly, it is possible to mold a holding portion without a separate mold-removal hole in the housing that is specially tailored for the holding portion.
The receptacle is formed with a retainer insertion hole to mount the retainer preferably into the terminal accommodating portion substantially sideways. The mold for molding the holding portion can be removed through the retainer insertion hole as part of an existing construction. Thus, the holding portion can be molded without forming a special mold-removal hole.
The connector preferably comprises a sealing ring mounted behind the holding portion on the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion for being squeezed between the housing and a mating housing that is inserted between the terminal accommodating portion and the receptacle.
The holding portion preferably is a groove in the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion and opens laterally or along a direction that intersects a holder fitting direction. The holder has at least one projection engageable with the holding portion.
The sealing ring passes the holding portion while being mounted on the terminal accommodating portion. Since the holding portion is groove-shaped, the holding portion is less likely to get caught by the sealing ring as compared to a case where the holding portion is in the form of a projection. Thus, a good mounting operability is provided.
The groove that defines the holding portion may comprise a front end surface arranged at an angle between about 70xc2x0 to about 110xc2x0 with respect to the holding member fitting direction, and preferably substantially normal thereto. The front end surface engages a mating surface of the projection that has substantially the same angle as the front end surface.
The projection may comprise a slanted portion for coming into sliding contact with a corresponding portion of the terminal accommodating portion.
The terminal accommodating portion may comprise guiding means for guiding the mounting of the holding member.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.